Jansma Gallery at NCCA-Artsplace,
13 E. Main St., Fremont. Samantha Luotonen is a freelance illustrator specializing in colored pencil drawings of the natural world. She is very interested in nature’s beauty and simplicity. Highlighting that beauty is the focus of all of her work. Sam’s technical skill at layering, blending, burnishing, and use of color with Prismacolor pencils is outstanding. The detail in these intricate drawings almost make the viewer believe we could smell, taste or feel the subject dripping off the page. Worth a visit in person just to see for yourself the photorealistic quality of these drawings.

Originally from the East side of the state, Samantha now lives and works in Grand Rapids, where she received her BFA in Illustration from Kendall College of Art and Design. She spends her time bringing portraits to life for clients and finding beauty in something as simple as a piece of fruit to something as complex as an exploding water balloon.